A String Of Pearls

deborah conway

a long time ago when my mother's hands were all my world

she taught me everything there was

to know about holding and being held

like a grain of sand in on oyster shell

the seed of knowledge grows

the small thing becomes a pearl

at the tender age when everything is unfamiliar

i can remember all the rough play princess and the wild crusader

never too shy for a mission of discovery

i learnt about the well of my curiosity

some wear their heart on their sleeve

some wear the patience of saints

some wear the weight of the world on their shoulders

i just wear my string of pearls

my string of pearls

the first time that i really fell in love

i gave half my heart away and taking care of half of his

proved we were old enough

all of those teenage radio songs

about romance that lasts forever

well i found out they'd got it wrong

waiting for gurus or gypsies or gods

under these burning clouds

searching for comfort above

when i joined a band to be a rock 'n' roll star

i tasted how sweet it was to be the girl that everybody wanted

playing in their bar

spotlights shine on me

'cos when the party s over

you're just a waste of electricity

i got a life i guess it suits me pretty well

i gotta crawl down narrow alleyways

to heaven or stroll boulevards to hell

bead by bead of wisdom and poetry

at the blind paths and avenues

dimly lit by my rosary

some wear a crown of thorns

some wear out their welcome

but somewhere over the rainbow

i will wear my string of pearls

my string of pearls

i will wear my string of pearls